The Land Transport Authority (LTA) is conducting investigation into the collapsed section of the viaduct structure between two piers collapsed at the worksite where the new road viaduct from TPE (Changi) to PIE (Westbound) is being constructed.
The incident that took place at 3.30am on Friday morning resulted in one death and ten injuries. All injured workers were sent to Changi General Hospital, eight remain warded.
The deceased worker is from the People’s Republic of China, while among the injured, 6 are from Bangladesh, 3 from the People’s Republic of China and 1 from India.
According to LTA, the contractor, Or Kim Peow Contractors Pte Ltd was carrying out works to cast the decking for the new viaduct adjacent to the slip road from Upper Changi Road East to PIE (Changi). For the safety of motorists, the slip road was closed to traffic while the works were being carried out. The collapsed structure spilt onto the slip road, making the road impassable.
LTA has begun safety investigations into the cause of the accident in order to see if there are any lapses or gaps that would need to be addressed urgently. LTA has directed the professional engineers (qualified persons in design & supervision) who were responsible for the project to carry out detailed investigations into the design and construction quality of the affected structure. LTA is also working with the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) on their investigations.
According to LTA, preliminary investigations indicate that the corbels supporting the pre-cast beams had given way. As a precautionary measure, LTA is checking all other work sites.
Works at all LTA road and rail construction sites were told to observe a safety timeout on Friday morning.
LTA said, “We are saddened by the accident and will do whatever we can to assist the families during this difficult time. LTA officers have been assigned to help the injured workers and the families.”
According to a report by Straits Times, Or Kim Peow Contractors Pte Ltd had been found guilty just three days earlier in connection with another accident at a construction site and had received 25 demerit points from the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and been blacklisted from January to April.
Temporary bypass road
Recovery works for the affected slip-road from Upper Changi Road East to PIE (Changi) are estimated to take about two days, before it can be re-opened for traffic.
To minimise impact on motorists and commuters due to the closure of the slip-road, LTA has begun constructing a temporary bypass road to facilitate access for motorists coming from the east along Upper Changi Road East and wanting to get onto PIE (Changi). This temporary bypass road is expected to be open by tomorrow morning.
In the interim, motorists can make a u-turn, at the Upper Changi Road East and Loyang Avenue junction, and get onto PIE (Changi) from the westerly direction.
For bus commuters, as Service 24 is affected by the slip-road closure, LTA has added more buses to minimise any inconvenience.
